1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to boat trailers and more particularly to extendible guide rails attachable to or integral with boat trailers for aiding in loading the boat onto the trailer or launching the boat.
2. Background Information
Trailers for towing boats behind trucks and automobiles are well known and widely used. However, lakeside loading and launching of the boat onto or off the trailer often poses a difficult problem, especially when attempting to handle the boat in windy conditions with heavy waves interfering with launching or retrieval. The task becomes more difficult as the boat size or wind profile increases. Typically, the trailer is attached to the rear of a vehicle and is backed into the water from which the boat is to be retrieved, but guiding the boat onto the trailer and achieving proper positioning of the boat with respect to the rollers or other structural components of the trailer can be very difficult. Often one person is required to ride in the boat to steer it toward the trailer while at least one other person must stand in the water near the trailer to help guide the boat. When this person has to stand on submerged portions of the trailer or on a lakebed or riverbed with slippery or sharp stones, the risk of injury from falling or other causes may be great. These tasks can be imposing even when the boat handlers are of normal strength and stature, but the challenges are even greater when the boat operator may be smaller of stature or may have reduced strength or endurance due to injury, age or the like.
When the water is extremely choppy due to strong winds and large waves, it can be much easier to load the boat onto the trailer if the boat is properly aligned with the trailer before it is positioned above the support chassis of the trailer. However, the prior art of which the inventor is aware teaches only limited attempts to provide this assistance to the person struggling to load the boat onto the trailer. U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,197 issued to Heinzen May 2, 1989, shows longitudinal guide members extending along the sides of the trailer that assist in aligning the boat with the trailer. However, these longitudinal guide members are fixed, and may not be adjusted to conform to boats of varying sizes. Further, the longitudinal guide members may not be extended beyond the rear end of the trailer during the loading operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,925 issued to Palamara Aug. 1, 1978, also shows longitudinal guide members extending along the sides of the trailer. Further, Palamara teaches the use of convergent entrance wing members extending beyond the rear end of the trailer. These wing members, however, extend beyond the end of the trailer even when the boat is being stored or transported, and thus increase the storage space needed to store the trailer and also the space through which the trailer and boat must swing during turns, making driving and towing more difficult.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,033,600 issued to Watson Jul. 5, 1977, also shows longitudinal guide members extending along the sides of the trailer. However, as with those of Heinzen and Palamara, the longitudinal guide members may not be extended rearwardly to help align the boat with the trailer before loading.
Several references such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,161 issued to Sprague Nov. 18, 1986, U.S. Pat. No. 4,529,217 issued to Wood Jul. 16, 1985, U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,212 issued to Weary May 19, 1981, U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,211 issued to Schwebke May 19, 1981, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,447,815 issued to West May 1, 1967, show the use of upright means located on both sides of the rear end of the trailer to help guide the boat onto the trailer. Each of these references, however, requires that the bow of the boat be positioned forward of the rear end of the trailer before these boat-centering means provide significant assistance in aligning the boat with the trailer.